The use of portable back and neck braces to immobilize the head and neck area subsequent to an injury has been widely used in the medical field for some time especially in the field of rehabilitation and physical therapy. Numerous United States Patents disclose neck and back braces--U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,957,040, 4,194,501, 4,589,407, 4,593,788, 4,620,530, 4,628,913, 4,913,135, 5,005,563, 5,027,833, 5,195,947, 5,201,702. The above patents disclose numerous designs for the immobilization of the neck and back area and, in general, fall into three (3) distinct catagories.
The first catagory can be referred to as the "halo traction" devices and include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,195,947, 4,913,135, 4,628,913, 4,620,530, and 3,957,040. In such devices, a "halo" ring is positioned around the head of a patient and is attached to the skull by means of skull pins inserted through threaded holes in the "halo" ring. Contact with the patient's head is made by adjusting the skull pins inward. If the patient attempts to move his head, his skin will be pierced by the skull pins. The "halo traction" devices restrict head movement and place the head and neck area in traction.
The second catagory of devices can be referred to as the "ambulatory spine immobilizer" and include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,027,833, 4,593,788, 4,589,407, and 4,194,501. The primary object of all such devices in this catagory is to provide a quick method for immobilizing the spine and cervical area in an emergency situation. Various methods of strapping the head and neck area to a rigid back supporting member are utilized in this catagory. The "ambulatory spine immobilizer" is not designed to be worn in other than an emergency, rescue situation.
The third catagory of devices involve inventions which like the previous two catagories immobilize the neck and cervical areas but unlike the previous two catagories are not utilized in emergency situations or through use of a "halo" mechanism. This catagory includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,201,702 and 5,005,563. The inventions disclosed in such patents involve a "U" shaped restraint which is designed to be placed around the patient's chin area fastened in some manner to a shoulder support mechanism.
The present invention is not designed for use in an emergency situation and does not utilize either the "halo" mechanism or the "U" shaped chin restraint. The present invention does not attempt to immobilize but instead provides support, only, to the neck, head and back area of a patient while at the same time maintains complete mobility as well as flexibility. While all of the three catagories of inventions disclosed above completely restrict a patient's movement of the neck in all directions, under the present invention, a patient's movement of the neck area would not be restricted in any direction other than towards the posterior and the neck and spinal regions of a patient would not be contacted by the brace components at all. Additionally, the upper support element can be removed from the lower support element allowing the user to utilize only the back support features of the brace. These aspects of the present invention, unlike any of the other catagories discussed above, allows use in normal daily activities.